


Dining Car Blues

by Coriana



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dining Car, Drama, Extended Scene, Gen, One Shot, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 15:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14191869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coriana/pseuds/Coriana
Summary: The train's dining car - where the food is bad and the company is worse.





	Dining Car Blues

"Sometimes when I look at him I realize - that little punk hasn't grown up at all." Gladio glared outside the train window at nothing in particular. There wasn't anything out there besides the desert anyway. Except Prompto leaning against the railing of the outlook, looking miserable. "In fact, I think he's gotten worse."

He felt a pang, for Ignis stared at him without being able to see him. And all Gladio was able to do in any form of comfort was complain.

Comfort didn't seem to be his strong suit.

It didn't help that the dining car felt stuffy and trapped, while being served piss-poor food, in the middle of nowhere.

"I know you think otherwise," Ignis said, an odd, quiet undertone to his voice that Gladio had never heard before until… the accident. "But Noct does try."

Gladio rolled his eyes. Even in Iggy's blindness, it made him shift uncomfortably.

Speaking of the devil, Noctis entered the dining car.

He walked slowly, with that annoying roll to his walk, and stopped in front of their table. Through clenched fists and teeth, Gladio turned away to stare out the window and flat-out ignore his presence. Ignis, none the wiser, didn't respond.

In the reflection of the glass, it looked like Noctis wanted to say something, but Gladio gave him no encouragement. He ended up just dropping his head and continued down the length of the dining car. It wasn't until he disappeared from view that Gladio cracked his knuckles in an attempt to release steam.

"That was Noct, wasn't it?" Ignis said.

"Yeah."

Knowing Iggy, he probably could tell by the sound of how Prince Charmless walked.

"I know what you're going to say." Gladio tried to stab his section of peas, only to find they were still frozen in the middle. "You've said it before. And I will say it again, too - you're too soft on him."

"And you're too hard on him."

"There's no such thing." He poked the little ceramic cup full of lukewarm milk and decided against it. He didn't want to know what kind of bacteria that thing was harboring.

He missed Ignis' cooking already, but didn't dare think of it too long just in case Iggy could read minds.

When Ignis didn't respond, Gladio continued. "How is a person supposed to improve anyway if you're not hard on yourself? If you don't strive for the best you can be? With dedication and a schedule? When has Noct ever _had_ to try? He's a pampered prince with no reason of bettering himself. He's comfortable where he's at. If he didn't have you there for him he probably would have already died from malnutrition a long time ago. Is that the kind of person you want on the throne? Leading a country? It makes me so…" He stabbed a frozen pea. "Angry."

Gladio had never realized how much he relied on Ignis' hard stare to sense what he was thinking before. What if he had fallen asleep and Gladio hadn't even noticed?

Instead he grimaced at the stale cookie, and the child-sized portion of soggy potato chips.

"Gladio," Ignis said, snapping him out of his contemplation of his sad-looking food tray. "You're not hard on Noctis as a prince… Even I understand that he has complications and downfalls in the political sense. Sometimes he shirks duties, but he can be reliable. But this isn't about Noctis' political standpoint… Gladio, you're too hard on Noctis for just being Noctis."

This time, it was Gladio who was silent.

"They're the same person," he said coldly, "Or at least they should be."

"Although there can be no room for a King to fail, you give Noctis no room either. For him to even learn how not to fail."

"This conversation is pointless, Ignis. If Noct can't act like who he's suppose to become, how can he become that person? I still think you're just trying to protect him."

Gladio saw Noctis pass outside the dining car window. He must have gone through the back entrance. He walked with his hands in his jacket pockets and his head down, shoulders slumped. He was making his way towards the landing, and the elevator.

It made Gladio's chest tighten to think about going down there with him.

Ignis let out a soft sigh across from him.

"Sorry, Iggy, but I guess I just can't understand your point." In an obvious attempt to change the direction of the conversation, Gladio stuck his fork into the gloppy mashed potatoes. "Don't these look like glue?"

He could only fervently wish he could take the words back, but it was more likely another god would appear and strike them down.

Iggy carefully wrung his hands underneath the counter.

"Sorry." Even though Gladio said it softly, Ignis nodded.

Although outwardly Ignis seemed so calm and stable about all of this, Gladio knew he was breaking inside.

"It can't be helped." Ignis nodded again, more to himself this time. "Where is Noctis now?"

Gladio glanced out the window. Unless he was wrong, it looked like he was getting ready to head down the elevator shaft. The little prick - just getting ready to head out like a lone wolf thinking it would make it better. Prompto seemed to be trying to tell Noctis to wait until he came back, presumably with Gladio and Ignis.

He hefted a sigh. "Looks like he's getting ready to go."

Ignis grabbed his cane. "Right then."

"Iggy," Gladio said sharply, which made Ignis stop in his tracks. It wasn't a tone he normally took towards him. "I understand you don't want to stay, but you are having a _problem_ right now."

Gladio watched as Ignis' back straightened and went rigid. "I'll be fine. How can I find Noct?"

"Well, I would imagine that following the scent of complete and utter depression will locate him."

Ignis sighed. He started to continue slowly down the length of the dining train. It was so pitiful and hard to watch this man - with all his pride and knowledge and dedication - tapping his way through a world he couldn't see anymore.

Prompto arrived in time to help him down the stairs, and then watched as he wandered down the right way towards Noctis. His uncanny sense of awareness and direction aided him more than he would have ever thought it would.

"Um, Gladio? Noctis is ready to go down to the sinkhole… i-if you're coming, right?"

"What else am I supposed to do," Gladio said, sliding out of the too-tight booth. He more or less grumbled. "You'd all die otherwise."


End file.
